No Bright Lights, and No Bullshit

Juan Pierre Coleman is a rambunctious music man, master of all things creative and perhaps one of the hardest, most focused individuals you will come across. He has scourged the Cape Town music scene with joyous abandon, composing musical banter and bristling, electronic dialogues. Employing relentless fervor, he resonates high-octane energy from his studio, a space where day tends to flow unnoticed in to night.

Juan is also an academic of the arts. He has mastered the tools of design, demonstrating, for nearly 10 years, an uncanny grasp of a kaleidoscope of design skills. But, this is about the music, so let’s stick to that. For now.

Known as DJ Quake, Juan is a musical maven who has been in the cut-throat industry for 15 years. Originally from the Free State, he’s been in the Cape Town scene since the late 90’s, adapting, evolving and, somehow, managing to remain humble. He’s played alongside Scratch from The Roots, Luke Vibert from Ninja Tunes, Cut La Roc, General Midi, Krafty Kuts and Cypress Hill. Amongst, and one of, the big players, he stays true to himself and his passion for music. He is highly respected, and rightly so.

Quakes a sucker for slutty synths, playful scratching, turntablism and experimental mixing. And we’re a sucker for his beats. Musically malleable and versatile, Quake’s sets incorporate Hip Hop, Drum & Bass, Breakbeat and Funk. They’re as esoteric as they are intense, and as surprising as they are lucid.

Ten minutes with this guy and you’ll be restless with creative desire, impassioned and rat-a-tat-tatting with taut, suspense-ridden drive.

Juan is also co-coordinating the world DMC Championships in SA, pushing the growth of turntablism in SA and giving DJs a platform to show their skills. An entrepreneur that has his hands in many projects, he is also part of the Sound Squad crew - an events company based in Cape Town that bring us the New Years Revolutions festivals. It’s all about promoting electronic music and bringing people together; primary coloured spectacles moving to crazy beats in nature’s beautiful setting.

DJ Quake slashes any misconception of South Africa’s electronic music scene lagging behind our overseas partners-in-beats. With blazing passion and unparalleled enthusiasm, Juan Coleman will continue to inspire and push the industry; in Cape Town, in South Africa and without a doubt, internationally.